Research points can be spent on faction-specific tech trees to add bonuses, abilities and upgrades, and to unlock more-advanced units and buildings. Some buildings and units are more advanced than others and as players' bases and research levels expand, so does the quality of their units.
Players may also build add-on structures, expanding the capabilities of existing factories. Players can also build land, air, and sea factories that produce land, air, and sea units, respectively. They build mass extractors and power generators, which produce mass and energy, along with research facilities that produce research points faster. In both the skirmish and multiplayer modes, players start out with an Armored Command Unit (ACU), which is a large, powerful, construction-capable unit, as their avatar on the battlefield.
